Two common kinds of display devices are cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors and liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors. These display devices typically include a main male electrical connector and a main female electrical connector for electrically connecting two different main units together.
FIG. 5 is an exploded, isometric view of a conventional display device. The display device 1 includes a front cover 11, a display module 12, a power supply circuit 13, a shield case 14, a cable 15, and a rear cover 16. The front cover 11 coupled with the rear cover 16 defines a closed space there between. The display module 12, the power supply circuit 13, the shield case 14, and the cable 15 are received in the closed space.
The power supply circuit 13 is disposed between the display module 12 and the shield case 14. The power supply circuit 13 is electrically coupled to the display module 12 by the cable 15. The display module 12 includes a backboard 120, and a printed circuit board 121 disposed on the backboard 120. The printed circuit board 121 includes a female electrical connector 123.
Referring also to FIG. 6, this is an exploded, isometric view of certain parts only of the display device 1. The female connector 123 includes a rectangular groove 125, and a plurality of contact fingers 127 formed at inner surfaces of the groove 125. One terminal of the cable 15 includes a male electrical connector 152 corresponding to the female connector 123 of the printed circuit board 121. The male connector 152 includes a rectangular protrusion 153 corresponding to the groove 125 of the female connector 123. The rectangular protrusion 153 includes a plurality of contact fingers 154 corresponding to the contact fingers 127 of the female connector 123. The contact fingers 154 are formed at outer surfaces of the rectangular protrusion 153.
Referring also to FIG. 7, this is an assembled view of the parts of the display device 1 shown in FIG. 6. The rectangular protrusion 153 of the male connector 152 is inserted into the groove 125 of the female connector 123. The contact fingers 154 of the rectangular protrusion 153 of the male connector 152 contact the contact fingers 127 at the groove 125 of the female connector 123. Thereby, the printed circuit board 121 of the display module 12 is electrically coupled to the power supply circuit 13 by the female connector 123 and the male connector 152.
The rectangular protrusion 153 of the male connector 152 is exactly matched with the groove 125 of the female connector 123. That is, the size of the protrusion 153 of the male connector 152 is substantially equal to the size of the groove 125 of the female connector 123. In addition, there may be other elements (not shown) inside or beside the groove 125 of the female connector 123. As a result, in assembly of the display device 1, it may be difficult for the male connector 152 to be located correctly in position relative to the female connector 123. That is, insertion of the protrusion 153 of the male connector 152 into the groove 125 of the female connector 123 may be inconvenient and time-consuming. This increases the difficulty of assembling the display device 1.
Furthermore, if the protrusion 153 of the male connector 152 is inserted into the groove 125 of the female connector 123 incorrectly, the contact fingers 127, 154 of the male and female connectors 152, 123 may be damaged. As a result, various of the contact fingers 154 of the male connector 152 may not properly contact the corresponding contact fingers 127 of the female connector 123, or there may be no contact whatsoever. When this happens, power signals cannot be reliably transmitted to the display module 12 from the power supply circuit 13, or cannot be transmitted at all. That is, the display device 1 operates incorrectly, or fails to operate at all.
What is needed, therefore, is a means of overcoming the above-described deficiencies.